We all live visible lives. We are living life in front of someone. Even more convicting is that we are being watched for how we live. I think this is true of all people, and especially Christians. However, people only see about 10% of what we really are. There is a vast amount of character and substance that lurks below the surface of what everyone else sees. This substance can be either good or bad… it is what you make it. I recently led a discussion where we identified this part of our lives as an asset or an anchor. What are the unseen qualities of your life? Are they supporting a strong, visible presence or do they stand in contradiction to how you live?

Luke 6:43–45 (ESV)
43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,
44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.
45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

The tragedy is we can only live out our leadership for as long as our character is an asset. When our character is an anchor our effectiveness is short lived and often compromised by the faulty character that we attempt to hide. Our goal is to strengthen our character. Take the time to assess your weaknesses. Confess to a friend. Share with a spouse. Confide in a pastor. Get it out in the open and pull up that anchor. Rid your life of its danger. The result will be a more effective influence on those around you.

Short term leaders are often plagued by the denial of their weaknesses. Long term leaders live with an awareness that managing weaknesses is a part of their everyday life. How can you better manage the weaknesses of your life and turn them into assets? My prayer for you today is that your life would be spent in bearing good fruit as a result of the core of your character being in a constant state of refinement.